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Goon
| runtime = 92 minutes | country = United States Canada | language = English | budget = | gross = $7 million }} Goon is a 2011 sports comedy film directed by Michael Dowse, written by Jay Baruchel & Evan Goldberg, starring Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Alison Pill, Marc-André Grondin, Kim Coates and Eugene Levy. The film made its debut on September 10, 2011 at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. It made its theatrical debut on February 24, 2012. In the United States, it was released on video on demand in February of 2012 and was given a limited theatrical release in March of that same year. A sequel "Goon: Last of the Enforcers" is scheduled to be released in September of 2016. Plot Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott), a bouncer at a bar in Massachusetts, feels ostracized from society, especially since his father and brother are both successful physicians. Doug attends a minor league hockey game with his best friend Pat (Jay Baruchel). Pat taunts the visiting team during a fight and one of their players climbs into the stands, calling him a homosexual slur. Doug (whose brother is gay) steps in and easily beats up the opposing player. Soon after, he gets a phone call from the coach of his hometown team who offers him a job as an enforcer. Meanwhile, veteran enforcer and Doug's idol Ross "The Boss" Rhea (Liev Schreiber) is demoted to the minors after serving a 20-game suspension for slashing an opponent in the head from behind. Three years prior, Rhea hit and concussed the highly-skilled prospect Xavier Laflamme (Marc-André Grondin), who has had trouble recovering from the incident due to the fear of being hit, resulting in his being stuck in the minors. After earning the nickname "The Thug," Doug was hired by a farm team in Canada where Laflamme plays, the Halifax Highlanders, to protect Laflamme and be his roommate. The Highlanders experience success with Doug as their enforcer, and he quickly becomes popular among fans and teammates, much to the chagrin of his parents and Laflamme, who loses ice time and the alternate-captaincy to Doug. Doug also becomes romantically involved with Eva (Alison Pill), a hockey fan with a penchant for players. With four games left on their schedule, the Highlanders need two wins to secure a playoff spot. On a road game in Quebec after an opposing player concusses Laflamme with a heavy hit, Doug savagely beats the player unconscious and is suspended for the next game against Rhea and the St. John's Shamrocks. Doug encounters Rhea at a diner, where Rhea dismisses Doug's claim that he is a hockey player, calling him a goon. Though Rhea acknowledges Doug's physical prowess and gives Doug his respect, Rhea warns him that if they ever meet on the ice, he will "lay him the fuck out." The Highlanders (with Doug suspended and Laflamme hospitalized) lose to the Shamrocks. Doug reaches out to Laflamme, and promises him he will always have his back on the ice. In their next game, the Highlanders lead 1–0 thanks to strong teamwork between Doug and Laflamme. In the final seconds, Doug blocks a slapshot with his face and his ankle is injured in the ensuing scramble. The Highlanders win, but they need a win against Rhea and the Shamrocks in their last game for a playoff spot. After two periods, the Shamrocks are beating the Highlanders 2–0. Rhea and Doug drop the gloves in the third period. Doug is knocked down first, but Rhea calls off the linesmen and allows him to get back up. Doug manages to break Rhea's nose, but breaks his previously injured ankle in the process. Doug manages to stand back up and knocks out Rhea with a vicious left hook. Eva and his teammates help a seriously injured Doug off the ice and Laflamme, inspired by Doug's efforts and Rhea's defeat, scores a natural hat trick, giving the Highlanders a 3–2 lead. As the game enters its final minute, the final scene has Eva comforting Doug in the locker room as he comments, "I think I nailed him." Cast *Seann William Scott as Doug "The Thug" Glatt *Jay Baruchel as Pat *Alison Pill as Eva *Liev Schreiber as Ross "The Boss" Rhea *Marc-André Grondin as Xavier Laflamme *Eugene Levy as Dr. Glatt *David Paetkau as Ira Glatt *Kim Coates as Coach Ronnie Hortense *Jonathan Cherry as Goaltender Marco "Belchie" Belchior *Ricky Mabe as John Stevenson *David Lawrence as Richard *Ellen David as Mrs. Glatt *Geoff Banjavich as Brandon *Nicholas Campbell as Rollie Hortense *Richard Clarkin as Highlanders Captain Gord Ogilvey *Karl Graboshas as Oleg *George Tchortov as Evgeni *Georges Laraque as Huntington *Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay and Mike Smith from Trailer Park Boys make a cameo appearance as Pat's production team Production "Goon" is an adaptation of the book "Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey Into Minor League Hockey" by Adam Frattasio and Doug Smith. Footage from Smith's career as an enforcer is shown during the film's credits and he said in an interview with Grantland.com that he is happy with the finished film. The book was discovered by Jesse Shapira and his producing partner David Gross. Along with Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, they developed the script and then proceeded to package and independently finance the movie. It was the first film under their No Trace Camping banner. The movie was filmed in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Most of the hockey scenes were filmed at the Portage Credit Union Centre in Portage la Prairie, even though the Halifax Metro Centre was shown as the home of the Halifax Highlanders. Some of the scenes were also filmed at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg and the Keystone Centre in Brandon. Marketing A red-band trailer for the film was released on IGN. In Toronto and Montreal, prior to its premiere, posters for the film were removed from city bus shelters after several complaints from the public due to Jay Baruchel making a "sexually suggestive gesture with his tongue and fingers." Box Office "Goon" was given a limited theatrical release in the United States on March 30, 2012. It opened at #17 at the box office, grossing $1,232,860 in its opening weekend. Domestically, it only grossed $4,168,528. The film closed in theaters on May 31, 2012 after 14 weeks. Critical Reception The film has received positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes has rated the film "Certified Fresh" with a score of 82% based on reviews from 103 critics. Metacritic gave the film a score of 64 based on reviews from 21 critics. The New York Times' Stephen Holden gave the film gave a positive review that credits all the major performances. The timing of the film’s release was considered controversial by some as the previous summer featured the deaths of three NHL enforcers: Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak who suffered from depression and head trauma that are believed to be factors in their deaths. The San Francisco Chronicle called it "harsh, nasty and vulgar like you wouldn't believe. And often, it's hilarious." The New York Post's Kyle Smith said, "The dialogue, while filthy, is wickedly funny, and sounds perfect coming out of the mouths of these beaten-down characters in their low-rent surroundings." It also received negative feedback from critics. Stephen Cole from The Globe and Mail called the film "a disappointment" and Tom Russo from the Boston Globe said, "The movie's unlikely sincerity can't completely offset its ugliness for less bloodthirsty viewers, but it helps, and it does smooth over some narrative rough edges." Accolades 2013 Central Ohio Film Critics Association *Best Overlooked Film (nominated) 2012 Directors Guild of Canada *Craft Award Direction- Feature Film: Michael Dowse (nominated) *Picture Editing- Feature Film: Reginald Harkema (nominated) 2013 Genie Awards *Performance by An Actor in a Supporting Role: Jay Baruchel (nominated) *Performance by An Actor in a Supporting Role: Kim Coates (nominated) *Adapted Screenplay: Jay Baruchel & Evan Goldberg (nominated) *Achievement in Cinematography: Bobby Shore (nominated) *Achievement in Direction: Michael Dowse (nominated) *Achievement in Make-Up: Brenda Magalas & Lori Caputi (nominated) 2013 Toronto Film Critics Association Awards *Best Canadian Film: Michael Dowse (nominated) 2013 Vancouver Film Critics Circle *Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film: Jay Baruchel (nominated) *Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film: Liev Schreiber (nominated) *Best Supporting Actress in a Canadian Film: Alison Pill (nominated) Theatrical Trailer Category:2011 films Category:Sports films Category:Alliance Film films Category:Sports comedy films Category:Ice hockey films Category:2010s films Category:2010s sports comedy films Category:2010s sports films Category:Films directed by Michael Dowse